Unite to reap benefits from government’s programmes – President
President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says it is the determination and ambition of his government to bring development to all parts of Ghana without discrimination.
He said it was also important that as Ghana moved forward, all the people go forward together in unity and in hope for a brighter future for our country.
President Akufo-Addo made the statement at this year’s Paari Gbielle Festival of the chiefs and people of the Tumu Traditional Area in the Sissala East District on Saturday.
He said the government was on course to deliver to Ghanaians programmes and projects that it promised them and urged the people to embrace those that had been delivered to advance development process of the country.
President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance that “under the tenure of my administration, Ghanaians will see the revival and reconstruction of the country”.
On development projects, President Akufo-Addo said, for the past two years of his administration, constructional works on some classroom and dormitory blocks were on-going at Kanton Senior High School and Tumu Senior High Secondary and Technical School to enhance quality teaching learning.
Institutional latrines had also been provided the two schools, the Tumu College of Education and other schools in the district, while efforts were being made to provide a fence wall for the Tumu Senior High Secondary Technical School to help secure it from encroachers.
The construction of classroom blocks were also on-going in some communities in the district.
President Akufo-Addo said out of the 21 technical Institutions that the government would build across the country of which two are earmarked for the Upper West Region, he would make sure that Tumu benefited from one.
On roads, President Akufo-Addo said a number of feeder roads, bridges and culverts had been awarded on contract and constructional work would commence soon to link the communities to the district capital to boost business activities and enhance livelihoods.
He said a police station would be built at Banoa on the Bolgatanga-Tumu main road to help address the high incidence of armed robbery and other criminal activities on travellers.
President Akufo-Addo announced that plans were on-going to build a district hospital in Tumu to provide quality healthcare services to the people, while Community-Based Health and Planning Services (CHPs) compounds were also being built at some communities in the district.
He said the Nurse Assistant Preventive NAP) programme would be added to the Tumu Midwifery Training School to produce quality health personnel to man the health institutions and to provide excellent healthcare service to the people.
President Akufo-Addo said government was considering the rehabilitation of machinery and equipment at the Tumu Cotton Factory to revamp it and make it functional for the production of cotton in the area.
He gave the assurance that budgetary allocation would be made towards the revamping of the factory, and appealed to farmers in the district to go into cotton farming to produce more cotton to feed the factory all-year-round.
As part of government efforts to modernise agriculture under its pro-poor agricultural policies and programmes, especially the “Planting for Food and Jobs”, 15 motor bicycles had been provided to Agricultural Extension Officers in the district to help facilitate their supervision and monitory roles and, as well educate farmers on modern farming practices to boost food and livestock production.
He commended farmers in the Sissala East District for embracing the “Planting for Food and Job” programme of the government and urged them not relent in their efforts to boost food crops production in the area.
President Akufo-Addo said 15 dams would be constructed in the district to provide water for all-year farming, while a warehouse would also be provided to enhance food security.
Cashew seedlings totalling 60,500 were supplied to farmers in the district to establish cashew plantation to supplement their incomes.
On water and sanitation, President Akufo- Addo announced that work was on-going to improve the Tumu Town Water System to provide quality water supply to the inhabitants and 20 boreholes were also provided to communities in the district.
The festival, christened “Paari Gbielle”, literary meaning “farmers rejoice or play festival” was on the theme “Paari Gbielle Festival; a tool for the restoration of our cultural heritage”.
It was characterised by drumming and dancing, cultural display and musketry among other activities.
Traditional rulers from Wa and Lawra, Bawku and Sandema in the Upper East Region, as well as government officials, attended the event.
Source: GNA